Of Masks and Cabbages
by Shiza-kun
Summary: Prompts for the Survival arena on SHINE! Junjou Terrorist.
1. Chapter 1

_Prompt #1: _

_Write about a situation where one character has the need to say the following quote: "My bathroom is too small for dancing."_

_Word Count: minimum 500_

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Miyagi inserted his door key into the lock with a sigh. He had stalled long enough at the university; it was already midnight soon. But he just wanted to distract himself from thinking about a certain gray eyed teenager that had been occupying his mind ever since that boy had rubbed the word "destiny" to his face. It seemed like it would reach a point where it drives him crazy. He wasn't even interested in the same sex before this and yet the confession had him plunging headlong and falling even further that it threatens to take over his life, if he lost any amount of control.

_Speaking of the devil._"You took long enough in getting home." The irritated voice behind him spoke up, impatience dripping from every word.

_And the brat makes his appearance._ He could feel a headache starting already and he reached up to massage his nape.  
"You shouldn't be here." He turned the door knob open and raised an eyebrow at the boy, asking the question silently. Maybe it wasn't the wisest thing to do that. Shinobu was blushing and looking thoroughly displeased. And yet, he still looked so _cute_. Damn.

Shinobu pushed past him and walked past the threshold. "It was boring at home. I'm staying over for the night."

"Oi." Miyagi shook his head at the boy's pigheadedness. "It's considered rude to do that you know. And besides, you shouldn't be here. Go home." He turned towards the living room, shedding his jacket and undoing his tie, wanting to appear more composed.

_No don't leave. I missed you. I haven't seen you in days and I wanted to hold you the moment I saw you._

Shinobu grabbed his lover by the arm and forced Miyagi to face him. "Are you telling me I'm unwelcome here now?! Why do you always act this way towards me?"

_Tsk._ He knew he would take it this way. Miyagi left the question unanswered and walked into the bathroom, Shinobu following closely at his heels.

"Oi, Miyagi! Answer me!"

"Can't I even take a shower in peace?" came the retort, as the older man undid his shirt buttons.

"I wish I could be like you, acting all cool and composed. And indifferent, like I didn't matter at all." Tears were threatening to spill down the teenager's cheeks and he was trembling in a vain attempt to calm himself down. He was always helpless and horribly out of control when it came to this man. This cold, unfeeling man.

Suddenly, he was pulled against a warm chest and unyielding arms crushed him further into the warmth of his lover's body. "Idiot. Who's acting indifferent?"

Miyagi held the teen's sobbing form, running his hand up and down Shinobu's arms and back, swaying a little every now and then.

"Are we dancing?" The question came out of nowhere.

But Miyagi realized that given the way they were positioned, it could easily be mistaken for one.

"You really are an idiot. My bathroom is too small for dancing."

Shinobu's face flushed more at the rebuff and started to push away but Miyagi's next words drove out all thoughts from his mind.

"Besides, who said anything about dancing? Let's take advantage of the shower and I'll make a mess of you, Shinobu-chin."  
And Miyagi's face descended to kiss the boy who taught him how it was to love again.

_I wanted to hold you as soon as I saw you. But I didn't. Because I keep on telling myself I am the adult in this relationship. I used to be as reckless as you. That's why it irritated me to see a younger version of myself each time I saw you. But old habits die hard. And here I am, being reckless once again, falling in love with a boy seventeen years my junior. I couldn't stop it, even if I tried._

At least, that was what Miyagi told Shinobu through the touches and caresses he liberally showered over his partner's body.

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Yeah. Reading it hurts my eyes too. "OTL My first time writing about this couple. ;A;

Written for the Survival Arena on SHINE! Please take into consideration that the challengers only had 24 hours to write each prompt. =A= I'll add the rest of my accomplished prompts in here as additional chapters.


	2. Chapter 2

_Prompt # 2  
A picture of a bejeweled mask and the word ____**exploit.**_

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He looked down beside him at the young man's sleeping face and stifled the urge to bend down and wake him up with a kiss. Instead, he buried his face in the pillow he held in his arms and growled into it, feeling frustrated and utterly helpless.  
So much for being the adult in the relationship, he mused.

At the very least, he was really trying to control himself, knowing very well that if he let his emotions run amok, he would revert back to his old self, back to the teenager he had been all those years ago who had fallen in love with his literature teacher and had chased after her. He knew that if he slipped up just once, he would become that kind of man again, one that followed his heart, defying logic and reason, the kind like the sleeping teen beside him.

Irony is sweet and fate plays cruel jokes.

At certain angles, it is amusing to think that he is now thrust in the position he had placed his teacher in before. And here now too, relentlessly pursuing him is a mirror or his old self. It irritates him at times just to see Shinobu selfishly doing as he well pleases. And he knew it is because it reminds him of the kind of man he once was; tucked carefully somewhere inside him, who is now threatening to break through a well carved shell.

He once told his assistant professor, Kamijou, that the latter's armor was full of chinks. His own was badly dented as well, he realized that now. Not that he could do anything about it because this teenager beside him, full of raging hormones and asinine thoughts about destiny, had already knocked away a good part of the mask that shielded the true Miyagi from the world.

He was actually surprised and banal as it may sound, for once, due to the day's events, he felt happy. Looking back, it still astounds him at how he could have forgotten his sensei's death anniversary. He had never dreamed it would happen, had resigned to the years ahead filled with a painful love for a long dead person. But all it took was this _boy_ (and his ex-wife's brother to boot!) to make him forget, for once.

And hypocritical as it may seem, after loving his dearly departed teacher for so long, it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders when the day he never expected to arrive, finally came. And to think, it all started because of a jealous fit from Shinobu after seeing sensei's picture. Shinobu had avoided him then, refusing to take any calls and rarely even visited anymore. It made Miyagi miss him, in the truest sense of the word.

And then he decided to come after him today, tossed a careless glance at the calendar, took notice of the encircled date – and then – it was only _then_ that he remembered what date it was exactly. That long moment, as he stared into the calendar, opened up a floodgate of realizations and emotions. He had dragged Shinobu to his sensei's grave and declared for the whole world to hear that he loved the boy. (But honestly, he was vastly relieved no one else was around at the time)

Somehow, one thing had led to another and once again, in the evening, he ended up having to shout that he loved this bit of a boy and that Shinobu had very well taken over his life. Being a 'replacement' was not even an issue here.

But really, right now, in the dead silence of the early morning, merely punctuated by the soft sighs that escaped the sleeping boy's parted lips, Miyagi had to wonder and question. All these years, was he merely hiding behind that mask he had created? Had he come to depend greatly depend on the fact that a person he loved died, and had used that excuse to prevent himself from loving again? It made him sound like someone trying to escape from any close bond with people; but maybe, that was what he was trying to do all along? There was a small chance that he had been abusing that reason as an excuse, just to stop loving _and getting hurt again_.

But here, beside him, was the one person who could rip out that mask he wore, someone who made him 'take responsibility' of his actions. Miyagi smiled.

Maybe, just for tonight, it wouldn't be so bad to lose control of the situation.

And with that decided, he finally gave into the urge to bend down and wake Shinobu from the deep sleep. The kiss was peppered with a small smile. When he made love to Shinobu earlier, he knew instinctively it was the young man's first time. It probably will hurt more, he thought dismally. Ah, but he knew other very pleasurable ways.

"Shinobu-chin, good morning."

_I just want more excuses to hold you._

And that was probably one more pretext he could exploit to the fullest. He was sure his lover wouldn't mind at all.

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I want to kill myself for delving into a fandom I have not read a single fan fic of! D:  
I'm just going by the manga, anime and my delusions mostly.  
;A;


	3. Chapter 3

Prompt # 3

_**Genre switch**_

_Choose one of the following genres and incorporate this concept within your writing  
"Whatever you want to do, do it now. For life is time and time is all there is."_

_Genre Choice Bank: Fantasy, Western, SciFi, Horror, Mystery_

_The genre you choose must not be the same as the original genre your fandom is in.  
Ex: If your fandom is romance you must change it completely._

_romance - horror  
romance - western_

_Word Count: 1000 Minimum_

**Word count: **1,322  
**Genre:** Horror (I really tried.)

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Creak. Step. Creak.

Silence.

Footfall. Thud. Step. Whisper.

_Miyagi._

For the third time that night, he swore he heard his name called out. But every time he turned to look around, only the empty street greeted him and the night noises answered his silent stares. The chirping crickets punctuated each step he took on the hard asphalt and the full moon loomed ominously above him.

He must simply be tired. Miyagi Yoh decided as he turned the corner and walked towards walkway that led to the beach. _Their beach_. This was where he brought his sensei in the afternoon. Every day, without fail, he would rush to the hospital to bring her here for the simple reason that she loved the beach. Even when it was too cold to go out, he would still bring her here; because he can never refuse to give her what simple pleasure she can take of the time she has left.  
It was something that made her all the more precious to him, her zest for life and her love of literature. He learned to live for the moment, grabbing opportunities and slim chances for any form of happiness, without regret. Because, if at one time, you pursued something with all your heart, at that point, it was something you truly wanted, even if it does not hold true for the present. So there should be no regrets, right? If it was something that you truly wanted…

Even if things have changed and you are pursuing after something or someone different now.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the crunching sound of sand as he walked onto the sea side. He gave a small smile. The last time he had been here was with her. And now, he was alone. For a long time, he was alone. And here he was once again, to bid his goodbyes.

_Miyagi._

He turned around once more at the sound. He swore it wasn't just his imagination this time. But once again, there was no one in sight and the crashing waves and dark clouds cast an eerie gloom over the landscape. He shivered involuntarily and goose bumps began to appear on his skin and he felt a dull coldness settle inside him. He had wanted to stay longer but he somehow wanted to leave the place.

_For the last time, goodbye, sensei. I really loved you._

He was glad he didn't take his car out here to drive and had opted at the last minute to take the train instead. He suddenly felt ill and his shoulders were stiff. He reached up to try to work out the tautness out of the knotted muscles but it hardly had an effect at all. He was eager to go home and pester Shinobu into giving him a massage. He ambled up the walkway and hailed a taxi. Yes, it felt good to have moved on at last.

Miyagi turned on his reading light and settled himself on the couch comfortably. From the corner of his eye, he could see Shinobu curled up on the sofa, huddled in a dark blanket. He gave a small smile towards the direction of the sleeping figure and paid concentrated his attention on the book he held. He was able to dupe Kamijou into lending him the book before the latter even finished it. The expressions on his assistant's face whenever the topic of conversation shifted to Kamijou's boyfriend were just too amusing for Miyagi to stop his playful banter with the man.

Shaking his head, he started to read in earnest, taking no mind of the time. He wasn't sure how long he had been up reading when the doorbell chimed, echoing in the quiet apartment. A little annoyed at the interruption, Miyagi stood and stomped his way to the door.

The color drained from his face when he saw who was waiting.

"Miyagi! What took you so long in getting the door?!" Shinobu pushed past him and sat on the sofa. The empty sofa, which Miyagi was sure, was occupied not too long ago.

"Miyagi! What's wrong with you? You're too jumpy." The young man asked as they settled in bed.

"I- it's nothing." He was sure he was visibly shaken. But after that night's incident, who wouldn't be? Miyagi tried to calm down his racing heart and wound his arm around the teen's waist, wanting to borrow a little of body warmth he exuded.  
"I'm just tired. Let's go to sleep."

"Mmm." His lover mumbled sleepily and sleep soon claimed him.

Creak. Thud. _Step._

Miyagi tried to shrug off the feeling that he felt the bed dip slightly on his side of the bed. He scooted closer to Shinobu, trying to distract himself as he felt move movement at the foot of the bed, as if someone was trying to crawl on it.

He shut his eyes tightly and buried his face in Shinobu's hair, inhaling the sweet scent, valiantly ignoring to whisper of hair that he felt brush at his cheek. He felt the same coldness at the beach settle behind him once more and when he heard his name whispered this time, he was sure it was not his imagination anymore.

_Miyagi._

"Miyagi!"

He felt himself being shaken and he refused to open his eyes, afraid of what he would find.

"Miyagi! Wake up!"

_Wake up?_ He tried to open his eyes and the bright glare of sunlight greeted him. He squinted and shifted his gaze to look at Shinobu, looking worried.

"You were thrashing about. It looked like you were having a nightmare."

_A dream? _Miyagi gave a small laugh and pulled Shinobu close against him. His heart was still hammering in his chest but he felt so relieved was he was soon laughing out loud at his own gullibility. In the daylight, it was really amusing to think about it.

Maybe he really was just tired and needed to take a break from his long work hours.

"Where are we going?" Shinobu inquired, looking out the window.

"First to the shrine to pray for your university entrance exams. Then we're going shopping."

The boy cast him a suspicious glare. "Like a date?"

Miyagi couldn't help but tease him then and there. "Maybe. But if you don't like it…" He let the sentence drift off, the unspoken words clear between the two of them.

"Idiot!" Shinobu mumbled blushingly. "Who said anything about not wanting it?" More blushing. "And why the hell are you in such a good mood today?"

"I have my reasons." Miyagi chuckled.

"What did you pray for?" Miyagi inquired as they left the shrine.

"I'm not telling." The young man retorted. But the telling flush on his face told Miyagi exactly what it was he wanted.

"Come on now, let's go." Miyagi grabbed the teen's arm to begin the walk down the shrine but he wasn't looking where he was going and he bumped into a small boy.

"Ah. Excuse me." He held out a hand to help the lad but to his surprise, the boy gave him a frightened glance and hurriedly scampered away without a word.

"See. Even little kids don't like you." Shinobu whispered at him with a smirk.

The incident was soon forgotten by the couple but the young boy won't. There was no way he could forget the scary lady leaning onto the man's arm possessively, the look of pure hate on her face.

Miyagi found himself walking towards the sea side alone on a moonlit night. The felt a rush of déjà-vu but he completely ignored it. Was it his imagination or could he hear footfalls behind him and voice that continuously called out to him every now and then?

As he reached the sea shore, he felt a cold hand clamp down on his shoulder and he turned to look at the face of his long dead sensei.

_It's just beginning, Miyagi. I won't let you go._

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I just scared myself to death. D8


	4. Chapter 4

_Prompt # 4_

_Choose something your characters hate, and put them in a situation where they must do/face that something._

_Include at least 2 of the following objects hidden somewhere within the prompt:_

_-Spork  
-Stapler  
-Roll of toilet paper_

_Word Count: Must not exceed 750_

_**word count:**__ 526_

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Shinobu opened the fridge and rummaged through the contents, looking for something he can actually cook. He did not have (any) much experience in cooking since there had been no need to do so in the past. But his words got ahead of him and before he knew it, he was offering to cook dinner for Miyagi.

He pulled out a cabbage head and looked at it with disdain.

Simply put, he hated cabbages. They were ugly green things, looking all winkled up as they are. But he had a vague idea on how to cook stir fry as he had watched a maid cook it before.

Miyagi had already turned on the rice cooker so all that was left for him to do was to cook the damn vegetable. He pulled out a knife and smiled ominously. At least he had a chance to butcher up the thing in the process. He heard Miyagi give a yelp of surprise when he started to chop through the cabbage's ugly head, decimating it into tiny strips. He tossed the slaughtered vegetable into a pan and tossed the disgusting bits around. He reached out for the nearest condiment his hand could reach and poured half the bottle without much grace. It must have been wine or something alcoholic since the concoction in the pan flared up. Hehhh. At least that was done and over with.

"Oi." Miyagi commented. "For such a pretty face like yours, you sure make a manly meal."

And for the next days after that, Shinobu found himself practicing how to perfectly cook cabbage stir fry since overhearing Miyagi's comment that the professor was jealous of the bento boxes Kamijou's boyfriend prepared.

Ugh. And he thought he was done dealing with cabbages. But there was nothing else he could cook so for now, he was stuck cooking yasai itame for Miyagi.

-

"You're making too much of these things." Miyagi deadpanned as they both stared at the table filled with plate after plate of Shinobu's cooking. Even the fridge was overflowing with the stuff.

"Bring some of it to school with you." The older man sighed. He'll probably do the same himself.

Shinobu turned his back to walk away. "Like hell I will. I hate cabbages."He briefly considered making a run for it but he found himself pulled back against Miyagi and the latter was shouting in his ear. "Then why do you always cook them for me?!"

A chopstick holding the despicable vegetable strips was thrust into Shinobu's mouth and he dodged it, trying to hold off Miyagi's arm. "I'd rather eat stapler wire than that!"

"Then stop making them already!" Miyagi growled. He stood up, filled a bento with the stir fry and rice and put a spork on top before wrapping it up. He pushed it into Shinobu's hand.

"Just be a good boy and bring this with you. Please?"

When his lover says please like that, how can he possibly refuse? Begrudgingly, Shinobu took the package and stomped out of the room. His encounters with cabbages have yet to come to an end. He really should start considering another vegetable.

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A/N

And that's it. I wasn't able to follow through the entire contest because of a convention I had to go to a convention. D8

It sucks to be me. OTL


End file.
